Friday, August 8, 2008

Note to Self!

To: self

Subject: Tutorial on photography

Step 1: find subject


Step 2: frame subject in center


Step 2: frame subject in center with wings open


Step 2: frame subject in center with wings open


Step 2: frame subject in center with wings open


Step 3: frame subject in center with wings open (close enough!)
Hope you have a wonderful weekend!




25 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great tutorial Beckie! lol Your butterfly shots are great.

Cheryl said...

Well Beckie......tku for the tutorial....what lovely photographs....well done you.....but why do you always make me smile.......I could do with a bit of you in a bottle....take the cork out when I need to smile....
Have a lovely weekend, you have just made mine..

Laurie and Chris said...

Great note to self! I love to play with different settings on our camera. Macro is my favorite right now.

Susie said...

Beckie-Okay, I'm laughing my head off! Loved your post. Glad you got the last picture perfect. Those digitals are so tricky!!! Have a great weekend!

~Laurie said...

Good one....you explained it so well.
ha

flydragon said...

Love it!!!

Mr. McGregor's Daughter said...

LOL! I can't get a decent shot of this type of butterfly - they're very camera & me shy.

beckie said...

PG, thanks! I am enjoying trying to get them-a little easier than doing birds.

Cheryl, thank you. I am sooo sure you wouldn't want me around on my
bitchy days! But talking or writing with friends usually brings me out of them. We are having a great weekend, have the girls for 10 days!

Laurie, I wish I had Macro on my camera. One of the granddaughters has that and micro-macro!

Susie, you'd think I'd be happy to have the digital-I am, but now would like to do so much more than my little one is capable of. But a new one is a ways away.

Laurie, Thanks and thanks for visiting. I am always excited to see and visit someone new.

Thanks Flydragon. I saw on your blog about the poor little dragonfly. So sad-but I'm not sure how long their life span is.

MMD, I couldn't believe how this one fluttered around. Not only that, but he wouldn't hold his wings still. :)

Wicked Gardener said...

Very funny! But really, those butterlies never stay in one space long enough to get a good picture.

joey said...

Cute post, Beckie!

Rose said...

Excellent tutorial, Beckie, but easier said than done! You got some great shots. This same butterfly--well, maybe not the very same one--visited my house the other day, and I did get a photo, but not as good as yours:) They are more difficult to photograph than I realized: once they light, they don't open their wings for very long.

I really need to get the post updating on my blog roll; I didn't expect you to have posted this weekend and didn't check till now. Sorry. Hope you have a fun week with the girls.

Meems said...

Beckie: It's SO true! Only those Giant Swallowtails are constantly fluttering and very difficult to photograph... not only that but because they come out when the sun is shining that becomes another issue with washout...

Anyway... you made me smile and I enjoyed the post AND the lovely butterfly photos.
Meems @Hoe&Shovel

Meems said...

Beckie... me again... sorry... I said Giant and your yellow beauty is a Tiger Swallowtail... but I'm sure you knew I made that mistake. :-) Have a great night!
Meems

Monica the Garden Faerie said...

Aren't digital cameras great? Cuase that's just how I take photos--enough until I get a good one. And I do like the butterfly slightly *offcenter* in your final perfect shot!
~ Monica
P.S. Feel free to email me offline if you'd like any Chicago tips, esp. as relates to getting to gardens, etc.

beckie said...

Wicked Gardener, Thanks for visiting! I don't have the patience of some of the bloggers out there so usually end up with out of focus-off center pictures. Thus, note to self.:)

Joey, thank you very much!

Rose, I snuck this one in before the girls got here. I just started seeing these the last few days. Isn't it funny how much more we are noticing now that we are blogging? The post thing is wonderful, I can tell at a glance when someone has a new post. Much easier than checking and rechecking and a lot easier to figure out than the reader thing we have to subscribe to!


Meems, no I didn't know the difference! Giant-Tiger, I was just happy to have a name for it. Hadn't had a chance to look it up yet. And yes, they do flutter a lot. But, I am enjoying the 'chase'. Thanks, again, for the info.

Monica, great post on the Botanical Gardens of Chicago. I might just do that when we set our plans. Thanks!

Wendy said...

Hi Beckie - that was fun! Loved it and your lovely coloured flowers - and the butterfly, of course.

Karen said...

Beautiful butterfly! Great tutorial.

walk2write said...

Beckie, I must have been on the same wavelength as you. I kept trying to capture some of the same butterflies this past weekend and failing to get a good shot. Clever post.

Roses and Lilacs said...

Good morning Beckie. Easier said than done huh? I was stalking monarchs in the clover with the same result.

I would be perfectly still with the camera ready to snap. They would open their wings, quick snap the photo, look at the photo--missed again.
Marnie

Aiyana said...

Lovely photos and interesting tutorial!
Aiyana

Gail said...

A delightful post! Plus I got to see more of your garden when I enlarged your photo! So lovely!

Gail

beckie said...

Wendy, so glad you enjoyed the butterfly and the flowers!

Karen, glad to hear from you!

W2W, They are sure tricky little fellows aren't they?

Marnie, at least you are seeing Monarchs. I have only seen a couple, but maybe it's a little early yet. I think getting a video of them would be easier-well for someone who could hold the camera steady. :)

Thanks, Aiyana. Do you get butterflies out there and if so what kind?

Gail, I often enlarge photos on others' blogs. I can see much more detail. Glad you had a good trip.

Amy said...

Ha ha! Yes,those bird and butterflies sure are hard to catch. I seem to get things set up just right, and the very second I have my finger on the button to take the photo my subject flies away. I think they do it on purpose!

Mary said...

Beckie :o) It's not easy, is it! I'm laughing with you - we've all tried butterflies that flutter by too fast! I might get one good shot out of 20. But I keep trying.

You did good! Love the tutorial!

Lisa at Greenbow said...

Very well done. You can give yourself an A. Butterflies are so difficult to catch with their wings open.